Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the public release of a viral video showing the indecent exposure of Comfort Emmanson, the passenger accused of attacking airline officials during an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos.
Emmanson allegedly assaulted a flight attendant and later clashed with airport security officers, an incident that led to her arraignment at the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Monday.
She has since been remanded at Kirikiri Correctional Centre after failing to produce the required sureties for bail.
While Minister Keyamo supported the use of video evidence to prosecute the accused for her disruptive behaviour, he strongly criticised the public circulation of footage that exposed her indecently.
He described it as “totally unacceptable” and harmful to the dignity of women.
“Whilst we support the filming of her recalcitrant behaviour as evidence to prosecute her, what is deplorable is to release such evidence containing indecent exposure to the public to ridicule her. That is totally unacceptable to us,” the minister stated.
Keyamo directed that the staff member responsible for releasing the indecent clip be identified and sanctioned. “We will not fold our arms and tolerate the debasing of womanhood,” he added.
He further ordered airlines to prioritise continuous training for their staff on handling tense situations professionally.
“I have therefore directed that airlines must continue to train and retrain their staff in public relations and how to deal with potentially explosive situations in order to diffuse them promptly or nip them in the bud, except when it becomes inevitable,” he said.
The minister announced that a joint security meeting between relevant agencies will be held next week to improve coordination during incidents involving unruly passengers.
According to him, better synergy will help prevent similar occurrences from escalating.
“For genuinely aggrieved passengers, there are clearly laid-down remedies to address grievances,” Keyamo noted.
He reminded the public that the Consumer Protection Directorate of the NCAA has well-advertised procedures for complaints, warning that taking the law into one’s own hands could lead to “dire consequences.”
The Comfort Emmanson viral video incident has reignited discussions about passenger conduct, evidence handling, and respect for privacy within the aviation sector.
